MetLife Stadium, Quest Diagnostics Training Center Switching to New Turf

The two facilities will be installing an artificial turf that more closely resembles grass.

After months of study and consideration, the playing surfaces at MetLife Stadium and inside the Quest Diagnostics Training Center field house will be replaced with a new synthetic turf.

The new playing surface in both facilities is a monofilament synthetic grass, replacing the slit film surface previously in place.

The current slit film surface, according to Pioneer Athletics, consists of "fibers created from a single piece of flat plastic which create a canopy over the infill. Each fiber from this rake-shaped design is constructed to break down, which makes the fibers finer and softer over time."

The problem with this surface is that the grass blades look like mini nets when magnified, this, again, is because the blades are slit to allow for expansion. With a net-like setting, a cleat can get caught in the grass blades, leading to injury.

(See this article which has a magnified picture depicting the net-like effect and a picture of a monofilament closeup.)

The monofilament surface resembles grass in that they "have thicker, smoother fibers that are individually created and are not designed to break apart like the slit film fibers."

Giants co-owner John Mara told reporters at the league meetings that he hoped for the day to come when having a natural grass field at MetLife Stadium might be possible.

However, given all the activity that typically occurs in MetLife Stadium between the Giants and Jets, college football, concerts, and other events, having grass full-time might not be realistic.

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